The Best Floodlight Cameras of 2023

For clear images, ample lumens, and helpful extras without hardwiring, the Arlo Pro 3 is an excellent all-around floodlight camera. To get started, we downloaded the Arlo app (the unit doesn't come with printed installation instructions in the box), which worked without a hitch and walked us through the setup with concise, easy-to-follow directions. We installed the Pro 3 beside an exterior door and attached the Arlo Solar Panel to charge its battery (sold separately). Alternatively, users can charge the battery by plugging its power cord into a standard power outlet. We configured the Pro 3 from our smartphone and synced it to our Echo Show. By issuing the voice command, "Alexa, show the courtyard camera," we could see the area clearly on the Show's screen; we could even zoom in for a closer look.

We were impressed with Arlo's exceptional clarity, thanks to a 2K camera with high-definition resolution (HDR) that creates an ultraclear color picture, even in dark conditions. The floodlight is bright, too, with a 2000-lumen output.

The motion detector on the Pro 3 triggered the floodlights and started recording in 1-minute increments. The camera captures a 160-degree range of view, and we found images on both the daylight and nighttime videos clear and well defined. The camera's two-way audio allowed us to talk back and forth, but on a windy day, the sound was slightly distorted

The Arlo Pro 3 also has an optional siren, which is quite loud. We were able to trigger the siren from the app, and we could also configure it to go off when motion was detected. The only downside we noticed was that the rechargeable battery in the Arlo Pro 3 ran down quickly after a few cloudy days when the solar panel wasn't fully charging it. However, this could be remedied simply by running its cord to an outlet. We took advantage of Arlo's free 3-month trial Cloud storage to upload and view our videos.

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Get the Arlo floodlight camera at Amazon or Best Buy.